Welcome to the Desert

Last week I ventured out of San Francisco for a work related field trip. Needles California was our first destination.

Daytime temperatures of 108 degrees (50 degress warmer than San Francisco on this particular day), preserved mason work marking the famous route 66, beautiful views of the Colorado river and surrounding mountains, and 4 o'clock safety ice cream aren't the only noteworthy aspect of this small dessert town on the Arizona border.

There is also a "terrible" McDonald's:

With "clean" bathrooms:

And motel rooms starting at $29 a night:

Oh how I love to travel and visit new places!

Happy Spring

The days are longer, the farmers market abound with tulips, and my garden is exploding with new growth.  So happy!

Even my iphone is outfitted for Spring.

Shall we throw on some pretty dresses and head outside?

(from Anthropologie)

Strawberry Bars with Meyer Lemon Drizzle



Strawberry Bars with Meyer Lemon Drizzle

These strawberry bars are close to heavenly and pretty easy to whip up too, especially when you have 14 jars of tantalizing homemade strawberry jelly that your Grandmother lovingly packed up and sent home with you last you saw her, as though you had nothing else to do but sit around each afternoon and eat crumpets with strawberry jam while sipping hot tea. Well, if you have such a grandmother and no time for tea, like me, you are in luck. Otherwise, I'm sure they will be just as good with whatever strawberry jam you have but they won't be have that extra dose of loooovvvvee, if you know what I mean.

I made these for my mother-in-law's birthday "cake" since I  must still avoid dairy and they looked good enough to tempt her away from her low-carb diet. They are on the French Skinny diet so I wasn't worried (my slice was the size you see cut on the left, perfectly satisfying)! They were easy and looked pretty too. I wish I took a picture before I cut into them, but, you know how that goes, when I have something sweet and delicious in front of me, a camera is the last thing on my mind, and boy, did these go fast!
If you want to see some fantastic pictures of them finished bars, go here.

Here is mine:

Meyer Lemon & Strawberry Jam Crumb Bars
1 2/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberry jam
Glaze
6 Tbsp powdered sugar, sifted
1-2 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
1/4 tsp Meyer lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
Beat butter and sugars in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy; add Meyer lemon zest. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture until just combined; dough will resemble coarse meal. Reserve 1 cup dough for topping; use a sheet of parchment to press remaining dough evenly into bottom of prepared baking dish.
Place jam in a small bowl and microwave briefly (about 10 seconds); whisk to loosen. Use a small spatula or the back of a spoon to gently spread jam over dough. Toss remaining dough with 2 teaspoons water to form large crumbs; sprinkle over jam filling. Bake until top is golden, about 23 minutes. Cool completely in baking dish on a rack, then cut into bars with a sharp knife.
To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, Meyer lemon juice, and zest in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over bars and let set before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Yield – 12 bars (serving size: 1 bar)
Calories – 190
Carbs – 31

 We enjoyed them with the bottle of New Clairvaux Syrah that I purchased when you were here. It was a delicious pairing.

Happy Sunday to you!

xoxo,
Your Big Sister

More Pecans

I absolutely love Mexican Wedding Cookies and, as previously noted, we have an abundant supply of pecans at our disposal.  So get baking!  This recipe was adapted from one found in Tyler Florence's Family Meal cookbook.  Next time you're in town we should try out his San Francisco restaurant, Wayfare Tavern, or visit his kitchen essentials shop in Mill Valley.

1 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Big pinch of salt

1 tsp. water

1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

Powdered sugar for dusting

1.  Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Beat together butter, sugar, vanilla on medium speed until smooth.  Stir in half of the flour and the salt, then add the water.  Mix in the remaining flour and the chopped pecans.

3.  Form dough into 1-inch balls and place them about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

4.  Bake, rotating the sheets midway through baking, until the cookies feel almost, but not quite, firm, about 12 minutes.  Let cool completely on the baking sheets.  

5.  Sift some powdered sugar into a bowl.  Toss the cooled cookies a few at a time in the sugar until completely coated with a thick layer.

6.  Enjoy with a strong latte.

Stay tuned for a really easy and yummy chocolate pecan pie recipe!

Merry, Merry

Thanks for the yard clipping, they made a beautiful wreath to dress up my purple front door.

Little Sister's Spiced Pecans

This recipe is quick and easy and it results in a tasty treat that seems pretty sophisticated.  If only you had an unlimited supply of pecans at your disposal.  Oh wait, you do!  So grab a basket and start gathering.

4 tbsp. butter

2 cups pecan halves

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

2 tbsp. roughly chopped rosemary leaves

2 tsp. Worcestershire

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1.  Heat butter in a large cast iron pan over medium heat.  Add pecans and cook, swirling pan constantly until nuts are toasted, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add brown sugar, rosemary, Worcestershire, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and cinnamon and stir until pecans are evenly coated. Continue cooking pecans, stirring constantly until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

3.  Transfer pecans to baking sheet, spread into a single layer and let cool.

Magic at Sunset

I got to spend a few days last week in San Luis Obispo.  What a wonderful place!  Relaxed, friendly, active, eco-conscience, with beautiful weather - what more could you ask for?  Here's a shot from Ventana Grill in Pismo Beach at Sunset (I enthusiatically recommend the sauteed vegetable enchiladas!):